Fox Searchlight Picks Up Martha Marcy May Marlene

Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula announced today that the company has acquired worldwide rights to the suspenseful drama MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. Written and directed by Sean Durkin, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE stars Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes and Hugh Dancy. Maybach Cunningham and FilmHaven entertainment present a Borderline Films Production in association with This Is that. The film was produced by Josh Mond, Antonio Campos, Chris Maybach and Patrick Cunningham. Ted Hope, Matt Palmieri, Saerom Kim, Saemi Kim and Alexander Schepsman are executive producers with Andrew Corkin as co-producer. The film is scheduled to be released in 2011.

We were all captivated by the compelling performances and the expert craftsmanship of Sean Durkin, said Gilula and Utley. We are excited to bring this gripping drama to audiences everywhere.

Sean Durkin has crafted a riveting first feature, said Claudia Lewis, President of Production. We are thrilled to be working with a director who has such an original voice. We hope to make many more films with Borderline Films, this exceptional team of young filmmakers.

Josh, Antonio and I have had such an incredible experience at Sundance this year,” said Durkin. “We are excited to be working with Searchlight, a company that has consistently embraced new voices and unique storytelling.

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE stars Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a damaged woman haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, who struggles to reassimilate with her family after fleeing a cult.

The deal was brokered by Fox Searchlights Executive Vice President of Worldwide Acquisitions Tony Safford, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs Megan OBrien, Vice President of Acquisitions Ray Strache and Richard Klubeck, Rena Ronson and David Flynn of UTA’s Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers. Borderline is managed by Melissa Breaux of Washington Square Arts.

Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and its films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group.